Tokens of His Affection
by chocolatequeen
Summary: Circumstances force the Doctor and Rose into a series of alien weddings. The Doctor won't admit how much he wants them to be real, and yet he finds himself hanging onto the various tokens exchanged in their wedding ceremonies. And when Rose's life is threatened, those tokens of his affection provide him with the only possible way to save her. A twist on the fake married trope.
1. Chapter 1

"Your lives and souls are now entwined. Blessed may your union be."

Rose looked up at the Doctor. His eyes sparkled, and when he took her hand, she knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Run!"

Her amusement burst forth in laughter when she heard the startled exclamation of the local elder. She and the Doctor ran hand-in-hand toward the edge of town where they'd parked the TARDIS and stumbled inside, still laughing.

The Doctor took his regular position in the jump seat with his feet up on the console and his arms crossed behind his head. Rose still leaned against the door, gasping for air as she tried to stop laughing.

She'd almost succeeded when he grinned at her unrepentantly, setting off a fresh fit of laughter. "Stop, stop." Rose waved her hands in protest. "Your smile, it's such a corrupting influence."

The Doctor chuckled. "I have to say, I've been accused of all kinds of indecency in my thousand years, but never indecent smiling."

Rose's laughter softened to giggles, and she moved closer to the Doctor, leaning against the console facing him. "We should have realised something was off when only people wearing these," she raised her arm and pointed at her new bracelet, "were smiling."

The Doctor removed his own bracelet and turned it over in his hands. "I just figured they were all having a bad day."

Rose slipped her bracelet off her arm and bit her lip. There was something about the way the Doctor was looking at his that made her wonder… She weighed the silver band in her hand as she considered how to ask her question without pressuring him.

"What's it made of?" she asked, mentally slapping her forehead. "It feels heavier than silver," she added hastily.

The Doctor nodded. "It's laurium. Heavier and tarnish resistant. Earth has platinum; the rest of the galaxy mostly uses this."

The bracelet gleamed in the blue-green glow of the time rotor. Rose wanted to put it back on, but the only way she'd wear a wedding token given to her by the Doctor was if she could have a marriage with the Doctor.

"So… what should we do with it?" She held her breath after asking the nonchalant question. Would he even understand she meant more than their newly acquired jewellery?

The muscles around his mouth tightened slightly, then he shrugged. "You can give it to me, if you want," he offered. "The TARDIS can put them somewhere safe—who knows, maybe we'll need them for another fake wedding."

The brush-off was so familiar that by now, Rose only felt resigned. _What was I expecting? That he'd offer his undying devotion and say being married to me was what he'd secretly wished for?_

She leaned forward and dropped the bracelet in the Doctor's outstretched hand. "Well, if you keep your corrupting smile to yourself, we won't need to," she said lightly. Despite herself, disappointment welled up, leaving a lump in her throat. "Um, I'm gonna go get cleaned up. I'll see you for supper."

The Doctor watched her go, kicking himself for disappointing her. _But losing her would hurt so much more if we were actually together,_ he reminded himself. He knew what she'd truly been asking—after all, she'd said what are we going to do with _it_ , not _them._ And in his more honest moments, he could admit, at least to himself, that he wanted a relationship with Rose. He wanted to wear something that marked him as hers, and for her to wear something that said she belonged to him.

He sighed; thinking about it wasn't going to make this problem magically go away, and if he didn't move, Rose would come looking for him. If she caught him staring at their wedding bracelets like a romantic fool, he didn't think he'd be able to fob off her questions.

"Right. So where to put these?" he muttered. The TARDIS had dozens—maybe hundreds—of storage cupboards he could throw them into. He could hide them so deep that no one would ever find them.

Or…

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't what he'd said he'd do, and it definitely wouldn't help him control his errant feelings for his companion/best mate, but he really didn't want them to be tucked away and forgotten. Mind made up and only feeling slightly guilty, he dropped the bracelets into his coat pocket.

Rose smiled at him when he entered the galley. "Bracelets safely tucked away?"

The Doctor barely stopped himself from patting his pocket. "Yep."

"Good. Now, do you think we can continue our travels without further matrimonial adventures?"

He heaved an aggrieved sigh. "Rose, you've been with me for two years, and this was the first time we've been forced to get married. The odds of it happening again are—"

Rose put a hand over his mouth. "Never tell me the odds," she quoted.

DWDWDWDW

Six weeks later, the Doctor held still while Rose used the sonic screwdriver to unlock the collar she'd put on him in their most recent wedding. "This was a bit different," she commented as the first lock clicked open.

The Doctor sniffed. "More like a validation of ownership than a wedding."

The screwdriver quit buzzing, and Rose pulled back to look him in the eye. "Doctor, they told me you were good genetic material and would give me strong daughters. An' I had to promise to care for all your needs for the rest of your life."

"Good genetic material? Really?" He was torn between feeling offended he'd been relegated to nothing but breeding potential and pride that they'd seen his value.

She rolled her eyes and went back to work on the collar. The second lock popped open, and he pulled it off gratefully.

"How many times have we been married now?" she asked as she handed him the sonic.

The Doctor rubbed gingerly at his neck. "Oh, I don't know," he lied. "Seven? Eight?"

"Ten," Rose corrected. "There was the flower ceremony on Floris, those pins with the chain that joined them, the anklets, and the necklaces—"

"Is there a reason for this litany?" the Doctor asked, his pocket feeling heavier by the second.

She smiled, showing the tip of her tongue. "Just pointing out that you might have tempted fate when you said it wouldn't happen again."

The Doctor sighed. "It seems like I did. I'm… I'll just put this with the others," he said, jerking his chin toward the corridor. Rose nodded and he took off, slipping the collar into his pocket as soon as he was out of sight.

He brushed his fingers along the wall as he walked to his room. _What are you up to anyway?_ he asked the TARDIS. He was fairly certain his ship was deliberately taking them places where they'd have to get married—tempting fate, ha! More like tempting the sentient time machine.

 _You know why I can't… pursue anything with Rose. She says she'll stay with me forever, but the forever of a human is just a drop in the bucket._

The TARDIS pitched slightly as the Doctor reached the door to his room. "Stop it," he chastised out loud. "Rose… Rose deserves better than a broken old Time Lord anyway."

His connection with the TARDIS faded, and he could tell she was done talking to him for the moment. _Well good._ He shrugged off his coat and tossed into onto the bed, then unbuttoned his jacket before slouching down into his favourite chair.

Ten weddings. Ten times in six weeks that he'd married Rose Tyler. The ceremonies had ranged from vaguely Earth-like to decidedly alien, but Rose was right—even today's claiming ceremony had very definitely been a wedding.

The Doctor swallowed. Ten times he'd made some sort of pledge to love and honour Rose, then pretended he hadn't meant every word when they got back to the TARDIS. Maybe it was a good thing the ceremonies had all been so alien. If he ever married her in a ceremony more like the traditional Gallifreyan bonding, he might not be able to hide how much he wanted to be her husband.


	2. Chapter 2

The wind whipped through the Doctor's hair when he and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS. "Welcome to Rhaetia, colonised by humans in the year 3472," he said.

Rose's hand slipped into his. "Is that where we're going?" she asked, pointing to the city in the distance.

"Yep!" he answered as they started walking, their hands swinging between them.

"And why have we parked so far away from civilisation?"

"Well, the Rhaetians are obviously space-age," the Doctor said, gesturing toward the bustling space port now slightly behind them. "But within city limits, they've preserved an old world atmosphere. And to enforce that law, there's a force field up around the city that interferes with all navigation systems."

"Even the TARDIS?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I could get her through, but it would take some jiggery-pokery, and frankly—and this is the only time I will ever say this, Rose Tyler—the navigation system on the old girl is a little… touchy already."

Rose giggled, but she didn't comment on his admission. "So tell me what we're here for while we walk to town."

"Rhaetia is home to one of the best part shops in the galaxy."

"Ah-hah. And what do I get to do while you spend the afternoon dickering over chrono-whatsits?" she asked. "Don't even think about telling me not to wander off. I love listening to your science babble, but watching you examine every part is one of the dullest things I've ever sat through."

The Doctor walked a little taller. "You love my science babble?"

"Doctor…"

"Right." They hit the main road and walked alongside it. "I didn't expect you to come with me—although I'd like to point out that I join you on your shopping excursions…"

Rose wrapped her arm around his and grinned at him. "Only because you can't bear to be apart from me."

The Doctor's hearts stuck in his throat, but when he looked down at Rose, he saw a teasing, not knowing, look in her eyes. "If that were true, wouldn't I be insisting you come with me?"

She shook her head. "Nah… I couldn't possibly compete with your true love."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And who's captured my hearts?"

A hint of tongue appeared between her teeth. "The TARDIS of course! So you're off to buy her a present, leaving me to wander a strange city, all alone…"

They passed the stone walls at the edge of the city, and the Doctor pointed toward the junk shop. "That's where I'll be—and I won't be buying a present for my true love," he said, rolling his eyes.

He reached into his pocket and handed Rose a purse filled with coins. "That's five hundred potin," he told her. "Feel free to wander the city. Rhaetia is a remarkably safe planet, even if their laws are occasionally a bit outdated."

She dropped the purse into her bag. "Where do you want to meet?"

The Doctor nodded at the clock tower dead ahead. "Under the clock in… oh, let's say two hours?"

Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. "Two hours," she confirmed. "Now go and… do whatever it is you do while you shop for parts."

The Doctor watched her wander off, his hand already feeling empty without hers. He winced as the thought crossed his mind. "Ten weddings and I've become a walking cliche," he muttered, then turned toward the junk shop.

DWDWDWDWDW

Rose meandered through the city aimlessly. Between the stone streets, the half-timbered buildings, and the sloping rooflines, she felt like she'd ended up someplace where fairy tales come true, instead of on an alien planet.

 _Well, who's to say fairy tales don't come true here?_ she mused as she turned a corner. _I've certainly seen stranger things._

The window boxes added charm, and she touched the petals of a bright red flower as she turned the corner. Looking at the throng of people milling about and the signs hanging over the doors, she could tell this was the shopping district. _Well, the Doctor did give my money. Maybe I can find something for Mum._

She went through the first door she came to without looking at the name of the shop. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and she saw the jewellery cases, she turned on her heel and walked right back outside—but not before she saw the prominent display of rings.

For the most part, Rose tried not to think about her weddings. Clearly, the doctor wasn't interested in making them real, so there wasn't much point in dwelling on them. But sometimes, she couldn't really ignore it.

Rose wasn't stupid; she knew the Doctor loved her. She'd known since Downing Street and, "I could save the world but lose you." Getting him to do anything about it seemed to be a lost cause though, if he hadn't made a move after ten weddings.

She snorted. "Can't lose what you've never actually had, my arse," she muttered. That seemed to be the motto the Doctor lived by, but from Rose's point of view, he'd already lost by refusing to take advantage of what time they had. _He's gotta figure that out from himself though._

Raised voices pulled her out of her thoughts, and she followed them down a winding side street. "Stupid girl! Your ineptitude has ruined my best jacket. I'll have to pay forty potin to replace it."

"Please sir, I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better next time."

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed down the street, and Rose sped up to a fast jog.

"Do you think your empty promises can fix what you've done?"

Rose cleared the last bend in the street and saw a brawny man with his fist pulled back. She stepped in front of the girl, who couldn't have been more than fifteen.

"I don't think you want to do that," she said coolly. Behind her, the girl moaned in fright, but Rose kept her eyes on the man. "Looking at your clothes, I'm guessing you can afford forty potin. So why don't you just forgive this mistake and show her how to do it right next time?"

The man quickly sized her up, and Rose tensed, prepared to block any blow he struck. "You wear no sash," he said.

"Yeah, well, I'm not from around here."

His eyes narrowed. "And you, a _kasden_ , presume to tell me how to handle my servants?"

Rose blinked. The TARDIS hadn't translated that word, which probably meant it was a crude insult. "I'm not sure what a _kasden_ is," she said slowly, "but if you're gonna beat young girls, then yeah—I'm gonna stop you."

His lips twisted in a cruel smile. Rose's heart sped up—she'd seen that look too many times on Jimmy's face to not know what it meant. Her brain urged her to run, but the girl whimpered, and she straightened her spine and returned his glare.

To her surprise, he barked out a laugh. It was an unpleasant sound, and she eyed him warily. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, I am merely enjoying the fact that you have no idea how much trouble you're in."

His hand snaked and grabbed Rose's wrist. "Come along, girl—we have a date at the magistrate's office."

DWDWDWDWDW

The Doctor was whistling when he left the junk shop with all his purchases tucked into his dimensionally transcendent pockets. He'd found everything he was looking for, and a few extras beside.

He didn't see Rose by the clock, so he poked around the nearby buildings while he waited and thought about how they could spend the rest of the afternoon. After ten minutes, he had the rest of the day planned and started looking at the clock impatiently. After twenty minutes, his impatience had shifted to worry. Rhaetia was a safe planet, but Rose Tyler could find danger at a fun fair.

He followed the street he'd seen Rose take. As he walked toward the city centre and the shopping district, he stopped people periodically to ask if they'd seen someone meeting Rose's description.

No one had, and his hands started twitching by his sides. But finally, someone nodded. "A blonde off-worlder? I saw a _stedhul_ dragging one toward the magistrate's office about two hours ago."

"You're sure?" the Doctor asked, his heart filling with dread. "Wearing a red jacket?"

"Yeah, that's her. If you know her, you should—"

But the Doctor was already running for the jail before he could finish the sentence. _Why didn't I tell Rose about the strict caste system on Rhaetia?_ Stedhul was the highest caste. If she—an off-worlder—had offended one of them, the typical punishment was either life imprisonment or death.

He stopped in front of the large, two-storey building and pushed the double doors open. They bounced off the walls, and the sound echoed in the atrium. The clerk at the front counter stood halfway, then dropped back into her chair, a wary look on her face.

"How can I help you, sir?"

He placed his hands on the high counter and leaned toward her. "I'm looking for an off-worlder—blonde, jeopardy friendly, doesn't understand the meaning of, 'Don't wander off.' Her name is Rose Tyler."

The flicker of awkward recognition on the woman's face confirmed the Doctor's fears. "Miss Tyler stands accused of a very serious crime."

The Doctor set his jaw. "Well that's too bad, because I'm going to make sure she gets home safely, and there's no power on this planet that can stop me." The clerk shrank back, and he sighed. "I don't think you have the authority to help me, so why don't you take me to the magistrate?"

"Yes sir," she said, sounding a little relieved. She led him down a hallway and knocked on a door, pushing it open when a summons came from inside. "Someone is here to talk to you about Rose Tyler, sir."

The Doctor pushed past her before the magistrate could reply. "What do I need to do to convince you to release Rose Tyler?" he asked without preamble.

The magistrate stood and gestured to the empty chair in front of his large, wooden desk. "Won't you sit down…"

"I'm the Doctor, and I'll stay standing, thanks." The magistrate nodded and sank back into his own chair. "Now, about Rose."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that." He shuffled a few papers around on his desk, then picked up the one on top and handed it to the Doctor. "She gravely insulted Lord Skern when she interfered with his punishment of his servant. He has demanded the full weight of the law be brought to bear."

"Yes, but even off-worlders are allowed a trial, correct?" the Doctor demanded, dropping the paper back on the desk without bothering to read the charges against Rose. Rhaetian law was zealously enforced, but never without a trial.

If possible, the magistrate turned even more fidgety. "Yes, but when a stedhul is the wronged party, he has the right to demand any sort of trial he wishes. And Lord Skern has asked for trial by combat."

For a moment, the Doctor could hardly hear over the sound of his rapid dual heartbeat pounding in his ears. _Why did this have to happen on Rhaetia, the one place where I can't just use the TARDIS to break her out of jail?_

He breathed in and out three times, then made the obvious offer. "I'll fight on her behalf."

"I'm afraid only family are allowed to stand in the place of the accused," the magistrate said, holding his hands out, palms up.

"Only family…" The Doctor's hearts beat even faster. "But… Husband! I'm her husband."

The magistrate leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. "You will excuse me if I ask for proof of this."

The Doctor nodded furiously, a relieved smile spreading across his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelets. "See! Bonding bracelets from Fasway." He reached in again and found— "and the necklaces from Jablarth, and the anklets from Smoldurlia, and the chain and pins from Briri." Another handful. "Ooh, the belt from Swides!That was one of my favourite weddings."

He kept digging until all the wedding tokens were on the desk of the now bemused magistrate. "There, you see? I've married Rose Tyler ten times." The magistrate reached for the collar, and the Doctor shoved it back into his pocket. "Let's not talk about the collar," he said hastily.

"I've married her ten times, so don't even think of trying to stop me. I will fight for my wife," the Doctor said, a hint of the Oncoming Storm seeping into his voice.

Drops of sweat beaded over the magistrate's upper lip. "My apologies. She did say she wanted to talk to the Doctor, but we assumed she meant a physician. Since she's an off-worlder and wore nothing to mark her as a married woman…"

"Our life is a bit different," the Doctor said in answer to the obvious question. "It's often safer for these," he gestured at the desk," to be tucked away."

"Of course. Well, as her husband, you certainly have the right to stand trial in her place. I confess I was not looking forward to watching that fight, though judging by her fearlessness when she was brought it, she would have made him work for his victory."

The Doctor rocked back on his heels, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. "Oh yes, she definitely would have."

The magistrate stood and shook the Doctor's hand. "Lord Skern has asked for the trial to be held tomorrow morning. We will provide you with accommodations for the night, and a weapon for the fight."

"And my wife?"

"She will remain in custody, of course," he said with a frown.

"I would like to see her," the Doctor clarified.

"Oh! Of course." The magistrate smiled suddenly. "Actually, that fits nicely with the one remaining piece of business we need to conduct before you can fight Lord Skern tomorrow. Though I believe you are, in fact, married, to stand in her place your union will need to be solemnised according to Rhaetian traditions." He cast an amused look at the table. "But a couple who's already had ten weddings shouldn't have any objections to a simple hand-fasting."


	3. Chapter 3

Rose paced the small confines of her cell. Ten paces long. Turn. Eight paces wide. Turn. Bed on the left side, chamber pot in the far corner; over all it was basically like every other cell she'd been in.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. Over an hour had passed since she was supposed to meet the Doctor. She shoved the phone back into her pocket and started pacing again.

"You'll wear yourself out before your trial tomorrow," her neighbour said. "What'd you do to earn trial by combat anyway?"

A tiny grin crept over Rose's face. "I stopped some high and mighty lord from hitting his servant."

The woman's audible gasp surprised Rose. You stepped between a stedhul and a jarumn?"

Rose shrugged. "Well, yeah. That girl was only fifteen or so. Someone had to stop him." She grimaced when the rest of the afternoon came back to her. "Granted, I didn't know it would earn me a trip to Crime and Punishment: Medieval Edition, but even if I had, I'd've done the same thing."

The other woman shook her head. "You are either very brave, or very foolish."

Rose sat down on her bunk so she didn't feel like she was talking down to the woman. "You can't think it's right, letting someone mistreat a girl just because of their station."

The woman smiled bitterly. "It's simply the way it is. Most stedhul do not abuse their power like that."

Rose checked her phone again. "What do you keep looking at?" the Rhaetian asked.

"The time," Rose answered. The door at the end of the prison block opened, and she looked down the aisle, hoping to see the Doctor. Instead, it was the magistrate.

She turned back to the woman. "I was supposed to meet the Doctor over an hour ago. He'll be looking for me."

The magistrate stopped in front of her cell. "In fact, your husband has found you."

Rose blinked, but he was unlocking her cell and she'd learned a long time ago not to argue when people were letting her go—a lesson the Doctor still hadn't learned. And after all, technically he was her husband, even if he never actually did anything about it.

"So I can go then?" she asked the magistrate as they walked by the other cells.

He sighed. "No, I'm afraid your trial is still set for tomorrow morning, but as your husband, the Doctor has offered to stand in your place."

Ah. That explained why he'd said they were married. "Well, if you're not letting me go, where are you taking me?" she asked as they entered the main part of the municipal building.

"The Doctor expressed a desire to see you before retiring from the night, and to follow Rhaetian law, you will need to be married in our tradition."

Rose was torn between laughing and crying. _Wedding number eleven._

The magistrate gave her a sideways glance and said, "I realise you're already married on multiple worlds, but for him to stand trial for you—"

"How'd you know that?" Rose asked, cutting him off.

He smirked. "When I asked for proof that you are, indeed, married, the Doctor pulled a pile of wedding tokens out of his pocket. I'm not sure how he got them all in there, and I still wonder about the collar, but it did prove his claim irrefutably."

Rose stumbled. "He had them all in his pockets?" she asked, cursing the question when the magistrate looked at her suspiciously. "I just thought we agreed to leave them at home is all," she hastened to add. "It's not exactly secure, is it? Carrying all that jewellery around?"

He smiled. "Yes, he said that was why neither of you wear rings or bands."

Rose drew a sigh of relief. At least her fumble had verified the Doctor's story.

The passed through the foyer and soon were in his office. The Doctor had his back to the door, hands in his pockets as he stared out the window, but when he heard the door open, he spun around. The relief on his face matched hers, and Rose couldn't stop herself from running into his arms.

The Doctor's eyes closed when he wrapped his arms around Rose. The dread that had been building ever since he'd heard of her arrest evaporated. Rose was fine, and in the morning he'd beat Lord Skern and get them out of here.

The magistrate cleared his throat, and the Doctor remembered the tiny bit of business they had to take care of first. He loosened his hold on Rose, and she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye.

"I hear we get to have another wedding."

The Doctor tugged on his ear. "A hand-fasting," he explained, nodding to the magistrate who held a narrow strip of red cloth in his hands.

The magistrate walked around the desk. "After ten weddings, I doubt either of you have cold feet or doubts about your lives together," he said, "so let's move straight to the vows. Doctor, would you take Rose's hand? You'll need to hold it—"

He cut himself off when the Doctor wrapped his left hand around Rose's left wrist, encouraging her to grasp his wrist in return.

"I see you're familiar with hand-fasting."

The Doctor's hearts were racing, but he attempted nonchalance. "It's one of the oldest wedding ceremonies in the universe."

Rose's eyes widened, and he knew she heard what he hadn't said. He bit back a sigh and wished she didn't know him quite so well.

"Yes, I suppose it is." He held up the ribbon, and the Doctor watched as the magistrate bound their hands together. With each full circle of the ribbon around their wrists, the Doctor felt his ability to keep his distance from Rose, from this ceremony, dwindling. By the time the knot was tied, his hearts were racing so fast that he knew Rose must be able to feel it, with her hand right above his wrist.

"Your joined hands represent the lives you have lived until now. You have been separate, individual, needing only to think of your own concerns. By joining hands, you indicate a desire to also join your lives, to go forward from this day living and acting for each other. Do you consent?"

The Doctor looked at Rose. "I consent," he said solemnly, feeling the weight of the moment.

Rose looked back at him, and he knew she could see past any shields or walls that remained. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, his breath caught in his throat. She'd opened herself up to him fully, letting him truly see the love in her eyes for the first time.

"I consent," she said clearly, her vulnerable expression pleading him not to reject her heart this time.

The magistrate took their joined hands between his own. "Until now, you have walked alone, but from this day forward, you will walk together. According to the laws and rites of Rhaetia, I declare you to be married."

Their hands were unbound, and the magistrate rolled the ribbon up. "I assume you will want to add this to your collection, Doctor," he said.

The teasing comment broke the intimate bubble the Doctor and Rose had been in. He saw the speculative look on her face and flushed. She didn't seem surprised or confused by the comment, and he wondered if she'd known all along, or if the magistrate had told her.

He wanted to refuse the cloth to save face, but he couldn't. This ceremony, so similar to the one used in a Gallifreyan bonding, meant more to him than any of the others. It had felt real, and he wanted to remember it. He accepted the cloth and slipped it into his pocket. Something flared in Rose's eyes, and he thought it might be hope.

DWDWDWDWDW

Rose watched the Doctor tuck the ribbon into his pocket—the same pocket where he apparently kept all the tokens used in their weddings. She wanted to ask him why he'd done that, if maybe it meant he saw their relationship as more than just a marriage of convenience, but with the magistrate looking on, she couldn't.

"I'm afraid I need to return Rose to her cell," the magistrate said, sounding almost apologetic.

The Doctor's eyes flicked over to him, then back to Rose. Taking her hand, he pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"This time tomorrow, we'll be back home on the TARDIS," he promised, and the whisper of his breath over her ear made her shiver. "I promise, Rose."

She nodded against his chest, then she thought she felt the soft brush of his lips against her temple before he let her go.

The magistrate cleared his throat awkwardly. Rose turned away from the Doctor back to her jailer. "I'm ready," she told him, cringing at the bald-faced lie.

Her prison mate was lounging on her bed when Rose returned to her cell, but she stood up when her door opened. "So, what was that all about?" she asked curiously.

Rose looked at the woman and suddenly realised she didn't even know her name. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Karris," The woman replied. "And yours?"

"Rose. Rose Tyler."

She sat down on her bed, and Karris mirrored her position. "It looks like I won't have to fight tomorrow after all," she said.

Karris smiled brightly. "Your husband has agreed to stand for you?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, he has."

"The magistrate must have needed to perform the hand-fasting," her neighbour said. "You are from off-world, so you would not have been married according to our customs and laws."

A small giggle escaped Rose. "Married according to the customs of almost a dozen other planets though," she revealed.

Rose looked over at Karris and for the first time noticed the green sash she wore. "Why does everyone here wear a sash like that?"

The woman fingered the silky cloth. "It is a sign of what caste we belong to," she said. "Each caste wears a different colour."

"Back when I was talkin' to Lord Skern, he looked at me and said I wasn't wearing one. Is that how he knew I was an off-worlder?"

Karris nodded. "Off-worlders are outside our caste system. Usually that is not a problem; we rarely have any legal problems with visitors to our world. But in a case such as yours, it meant you had absolutely no legal standing—especially not against a stedhul."

"I'm guessing the stedhul are the top group, yeah?"

"Yes."

Rose pursed her lips. Ever since she'd learned about the caste system and realised how some abused it, she'd wanted to do something to overturn it. But if the system was as engrained here as it seemed to be, then no one important would be likely to listen to an off-worlder.

She looked sideways at Karris. But maybe she could plant the idea in the mind of someone who could make a difference. "I'm not used to being someplace with such a rigid caste system," she said casually.

"How are people on your world ranked?"

For the next hour, Rose told her new friend about her home, and about some of the worlds she'd visited with the Doctor where the society was truly equal. She was careful not to push, but only to present information. The conversation only ended when the guard called for lights out.

DWDWDWDWDW

The Doctor didn't sleep that night. He'd slept four hours the night before, but even if he'd been exhausted, he wouldn't have been able to push aside the twin fears that he might lose Rose, and that she might finally have a true understanding of his feelings for her.

The first fear was easier to deal with than the second—after all, he'd successfully fought the Sycorax leader for planet Earth. It was only the awareness that the odds were much higher this time that made him nervous.

But the second… He knew his supposed disinterest in a relationship was the only thing that held Rose back, and people who were not interested in a relationship did not carry around a pocketful of romantic souvenirs.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled the ribbon out. It unfurled in his hands, and he let the satiny length slip between his fingers. When he'd clasped her hand to hers, his ability to pretend the wedding was a lark like all the others had evaporated.

The words of the Rhaetian ceremony had been so similar to the Gallifreyan ceremony, minus the references to time that would seem odd to other races. He'd meant the vows he'd given Rose, and she'd realised it.

He dropped onto the bed and put his head in his hands, the ribbon fluttering to the floor. His last self had put up barriers against his feelings for Rose, barriers he'd had to shore up more than once since his regeneration. _Really, how did you expect me to pretend I'm not in love with her when you took the Vortex out of her with a kiss?_ he asked his last incarnation sarcastically.

Those walls had all come crashing down when he'd seen the love and vulnerability in her eyes as she gave her vows that evening. She'd let him see how much she wanted to be with him, and in so doing, she'd given him the power to break her heart.

The Doctor picked the ribbon up off the floor and put it back in his pocket. If the choice lay between his own hearts breaking when Rose died, and hers breaking tomorrow, he would gladly spare her the pain and take it on himself.

DWDWDWDWDW

After a restless night of sleep, Rose was awakened shortly after sunrise with a plate of food and orders to be ready to go the tournament field in one hour. She ate the breakfast and washed her face in the tepid water she was provided, then started pacing the cell again.

It was almost a blessing when a uniformed guard appeared and unlocked her cell. As he led her down narrow, Rhaetian streets, he explained what would happen.

"The combatants will arrive at the field first. They will retire to tents on opposite sides of the field where they will be given a choice of weapons to use. We will arrive five minutes before the contest is to begin and go to the centre of the field, where the magistrate awaits."

He looked over at her, and Rose nodded to show she was following.

"Precisely at 9:00, the herald will call for the combatants to come forward. The magistrate will recite the charges against you and explain that your husband has volunteered to stand in your place."

"Does Lord Skern know about that?" Rose asked.

The guard shook his head. "That change does not affect the proceedings, so he will discover it on the field."

Rose smirked; she looked forward to the look on his face when he realised he wouldn't be fighting a woman, but a man who looked as capable as the Doctor. "Thank you. Is there more I need to know?"

The guard seemed to consider her question, then shook his head. "After everything is explained before the magistrate, you will be taken to a separate box from which to watch the fight. That is all, I believe."

A question suddenly occurred to Rose. "What happens if the Doctor loses?"

"You will be remanded into custody and your husband permanently banished from Rhaetia."

A shiver ran down Rose's spine. "Oh," she murmured. She didn't actually think that would happen, but the answer was still… not what she'd hoped.

They walked the rest of the way to the field in silence. When they arrived, a crowd had already gathered. The idea that people had come to be entertained by watching someone literally fight for her life sickened Rose, but she put a brave face on and allowed herself to be led to the magistrate's box.

"Good morning, Rose. I trust you slept well?"

"As well as can be expected," she answered evenly, and he tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"The Doctor and Lord Skern arrived fifteen minutes ago. As the keeper of the clock, the herald will be the one to announce the opening of the proceedings."

As if on cue, a young man walked to the middle of the field. He met the magistrate's eye, and the man stepped out of his box. "Follow me, Rose," he said, and they walked over to the herald.

Once they were in position, the herald called for Lord Skern to come forward. The blond, burly Rhaetian exited the tent on the right side of the field and strode toward them with a sword in hand. When he stood directly in front of them, the magistrate addressed him.

"Lord Skern, would you please inform the people of Rhaetia of your accusation against the off-worlder, Rose Tyler?"

Lord Skern turned to face the crowd. "Yesterday afternoon, this off-worlder interfered with the running of my household. She stepped between myself and my servant and refused to move when I demanded she do so."

The magistrate nodded. "Thank you, Lord Skern. As a stedhul, you have the right to choose the trial of the accused. Do you still wish to proceed with trial by combat?"

"I do."

"Rose Tyler, you have the right to ask a family member to stand in your place. Do you have anyone who will go through this trial for you?"

Rose looked Lord Skern in the eye. "My husband, the Doctor," she said, smiling when the smirk on Skern's face disappeared.

The magistrate looked at the herald, who called out for the Doctor to come forward. Rose kept her eyes trained on the tent she knew the Doctor was in, breathing out a sigh when she saw him.

He was still wearing his pinstriped trousers, but in deference to the need for mobility, he'd shed the jacket and rolled up his sleeves. There was a sword in his right hand, and Rose's stomach flipped at the reminder of why they were here.

"Doctor, your wife, Rose Tyler, has petitioned you to stand this trial on her behalf. Will you accept?"

The Doctor looked into Rose's eyes. "I will."

Lord Skern grunted, and the Doctor looked over at him. Rose shivered at the sight of the Oncoming Storm barely banked in his eyes, and she knew the other man's obvious displeasure to not be fighting her angered him.

After a moment, he looked back at Rose. "Rose Tyler, as your husband I am honoured to be called upon to stand in your place this day. Will you honour me with some token of your affection?"

The sincerity in his voice warmed Rose, and she almost missed what he was asking for. Wide eyed, she looked at the magistrate, who whispered, "A kiss."

Rose drew a deep breath. "I will." She held the Doctor's gaze as she stepped toward him, looking for anything in his eyes that indicated this made him uncomfortable.

Instead, the warmth she'd noticed a moment before shone brighter. Her heart thumping in her chest, Rose reached up and placed her hand on the back of his neck, urging him to lower his mouth to hers.

The Doctor's free hand rested on her waist, helping her balance as she stood on her toes. They both paused with only a centimetre between them, and the feeling of his breath on her parted lips felt more intimate than anything Rose had ever done.

Finally, she lifted herself that final bit. The Doctor's lips were smooth, and cooler than a human's would be. His other hand landed on her hip, pulling her closer, and Rose's fingers sank into his hair.

She ran her tongue over his bottom lip, but when he started to open his mouth, she remembered where they were. Breaking the kiss with a quiet pop, she took a step back.

It was a chaste kiss, but the implications for their relationship shook Rose. She didn't know about the Doctor, but she wouldn't be able to pretend they were just friends anymore, not after today.

The magistrate's voice jarred her out of her thoughts. "Bailiff, you will please take Rose Tyler to the prisoner's viewing box and ensure she remains in custody until the outcome of the trial is certain."

The uniformed guard from earlier came forward. "You forgot to mention the kiss," she muttered to him as he led her away.

From her seat in the prisoner's box, Rose had an unobstructed view of the field. The Doctor and Lord Skern were facing each other now, and the magistrate spoke to them both.

"Lord Skern, Doctor, you have both been informed of the rules, but I will repeat them as a reminder and for the sake of our audience." Rose sat up straight. "You will fight until there is a clear victor. Victory is won when you hold your opponent's sword in your hand. This is not a fight to the death, though as you are both aware, you will be fighting with lethal weapons, so it is not unheard of nor against the rules. Do you consent to these guidelines?"

"I do," the Doctor and Lord Skern chorused.

Rose's heart was in her throat from the first clash of steel on steel. She didn't doubt the Doctor's ability; he'd proven himself months ago. But somehow, even though a planet didn't hang in the balance, this fight felt more significant.

 _Because it's personal,_ Rose realised as she squinted against a flash of sunlight reflecting off a blade. The Doctor was fighting for _her,_ as her _husband._

Eager for a distraction from the fight in front of her, she let herself think about their relationship. The bracelets, pins, belts—he'd kept them all. Not only that, he'd kept them on his person, always. Rose gnawed on her lip. She'd laughed off their string of weddings because she assumed the Doctor didn't want to be married to her, even if he loved her. But if that was the case, why did he purposely keep all those reminders of their weddings?

The crowd hissed, and Rose looked up to see the two men on the other side of the field with their blades locked together. She smiled; she remembered this move. The Doctor allowed Lord Skern to put all his weight against his sword, then, in a stunning show of agility, he spun in the opposite direction, nearly sending Lord Skern tumbling the ground. The stands erupted into cheering, and Rose raised her voice about the others, cheering him on.

DWDWDWDWDW

The Doctor heard Rose's loud cheer, just like he always heard every giggle, and sigh, and sob. He manoeuvred the fight back to the front of the field and flashed her a grin.

Rose smiled at him, and he could see the hint of tongue peeking out. "Looking good, Doctor," she called out.

"Oh, so I'm still the Doctor then?" he asked, teasingly repeating the exchange that had finally told him she accepted the new him.

She laughed. "No arguments from me!"

"Enough!" Lord Skern bellowed, advancing hard and moving them away from the stands. "Stop flirting with that _kasden_ and pay attention to our fight."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed; the TARDIS hadn't translated the slur, but he spoke Rhaetian and knew exactly what Skern had just called Rose.

Cruel amusement gleamed in Skern's eyes. "Tell me, Doctor, are you really so willing to die, rather than let her receive the punishment she deserves? I would have enjoyed seeing her die, if I had been allowed to fight her."

The Doctor's control snapped. He hadn't liked Skern from the moment he heard Rose had been arrested for her compassion. The man's frustration over not being having the unequal fight he'd clearly been expecting had lowered his opinion him even further.

Anger drove the Doctor's forward in a flurry of attacks, but it also made him reckless. Stern easily met each strike and returned with one of his own.

All it took was one mistake, one time he incorrectly anticipated Skern's next move, and the Doctor's sword flew out of his hand, landing in the grass some six feet away. Instead of going for the sword, Skern deliberately closed the distance between himself and the Doctor.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled, and her voice pulled him out of his dazed state. Skern raised his sword, and the Doctor rolled out of his way, picked up his sword, and leapt to his feet.

"Oh, I'm harder to kill than that," he told Skern. He took advantage of his opponent's confusion and pressed hard against him, forcing him backwards as he blocked each blow. "In fact, I'm harder to kill than you could possibly imagine."

Skern stumbled over an uneven piece of ground, and the Doctor seized his moment. He caught Skern's sword by the guard, flipped it up in the air, and caught it by the grip as it came back down.

The crowd roared when he turned toward them and held both swords over his head. The magistrate left his box to officially end the trial, and the Doctor took advantage of the few moments he had to talk to Skern.

"The rules of the trial would have allowed me to kill you," the Doctor said coldly. "That's not the way I do things, though. And even if I'd been tempted, I still would have stopped because I know Rose—the woman you see as a _kasden_ —wouldn't want me to."

The Doctor fidgeted through the rest of the proceedings. The pompous ceremony of Rhaetian culture was wearing thin, especially when all he wanted to do was celebrate his victory with Rose.

Finally, the bailiff released her. A broad grin stretched across her face as she ran to meet him, and the Doctor could feel a matching smile on his own face.

Rose buried her face in the crook of his neck, and he could feel her tears getting his shirt damp. He pressed a kiss to her temple and pulled her as close as he could.

"I thought…" Her fists clenched in his shirt. "I thought you were…"

The Doctor pulled back and linked his hand with hers. "Nah," he said. "I was always going to win."

The magistrate approached them and held out a hand to the Doctor, who shook it. "Congratulations," he said, looking at them both. "I would like to invite you to the banquet. It's a traditional part of any trial by combat."

The Doctor saw tents going up on the green and smelled cooking meat, but he had no desire to stay here any longer. A quick glance at Rose told him she felt the same way, so he shook his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm sure you understand our unwillingness to stay. If it's all the same to you, we'd rather go home."

The magistrate nodded. "Of course. Well, you are free to go."

The walk back to the TARDIS was strikingly different from their walk into the city the day before. Now that the trial was behind them, doubts crept into Rose's mind.

 _He's pretended he doesn't feel anything for me for two years. Why would one more wedding ceremony change that?_

She glanced sideways at the Time Lord who still held her hand. His jaw was set and his eyes were fixed straight ahead.

 _Why would_ _ **this**_ _ceremony have changed him, when none of the others didn't? He looks like he's already planning out how to tell me that this was all just another adventure and didn't actually mean anything._

When they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor let go of Rose's hand and opened the door. Her insides turned over when he opened his mouth—she wasn't ready for him to dismiss this, not yet. She needed a few more minutes when she could fool herself into believing he wanted to be with her.

"I don't know about you," she said quickly before he could get a word out, "but I really need a shower." She looked down at the outfit she'd picked out the day before. "And fresh clothes. It wasn't a bad cell, as far as prisons go, but sleeping in your clothes just leaves you feeling a little… manky, doesn't it?"

The Doctor tilted his head, and Rose's heart raced. Finally, he rubbed at the back of his neck and nodded in agreement. "Right, of course you want to get clean. I'll make tea while you take a shower. Meet me in the library when you're done?"

She wanted to refuse, but she knew she couldn't put it off forever. "Yeah, 'course."


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor was under no illusions as to why Rose had just run away from him. Despite the reverent tone of their wedding the night before, and the sweet kiss that morning, she expected him to perform his usual emotional back pedalling—and after two years and eleven weddings, he knew he had only himself to blame for that.

He needed to do something that would prove he wanted to move their relationship forward, but planning grand romantic gestures wasn't exactly something he had a lot of experience with. He paced the console room, tugging at his hair as he wracked his brain for the perfect thing.

"Think!" he commanded himself. "Think, think, think, think!" He smacked the side of his head when nothing came to mind, trying to get his brain to work.

The TARDIS laughed at him, and the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, that's helpful," he told her. "Don't suggest anything, just laugh at my pain. This is all your doing, you know—don't think I haven't figured out why you suddenly needed me to replace that part and suggested we go to Rhaetia." She laughed again, then faded away.

His stomach growled, and he reached into his coat pocket for a banana. Instead, his fingers brushed against cool metal, and he pulled out the laurium bracelet from Fasway.

He stared at the bracelet for a moment, an idea growing in the back of his mind. Rose knew he'd kept all the tokens they'd exchanged at their weddings, but did she understand why? He hurried to his room for the supplies he needed, and got to work.

It took no time at all to create his surprise, a fact which highlighted how ridiculous he'd been to wait so long. Once it was ready, he picked up the stack of cards and went to Rose's room.

The Doctor listened carefully at the door, making sure she was still in the shower before he turned the knob as silently as possible. It didn't escape his notice that her shower was going longer than it usually did, and the realisation that she was avoiding him heightened his guilt.

 _Hopefully, if everything goes right, this will be over soon,_ he reminded himself. He crept over to her vanity and left the first part of his surprise where she couldn't miss it, then exited her room before he could get caught.

Setting up everything else took another fifteen minutes, and when it was done, the Doctor went to the library to wait.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Rose stayed under the hot shower for as long as she could, but when her fingers pruned up, she sighed and turned the water off. _No sense in putting off the inevitable,_ she thought as she dried off and wrapped a fluffy bathrobe around herself.

She pushed open the door to her bedroom and pulled her favourite jeans and t-shirt on over her best set of matching bra and knickers. If she was going to be rejected—again—she'd at least feel good about how she looked.

After getting dressed, Rose loosened the damp towel holding her hair up and sat at her vanity. She was reaching for her mascara when she saw it—the bonding bracelet from their first wedding. Propped up behind it was a card that said, _I took your hand and said just one word—run._

Rose's fingers shook a little as she stared first at the bracelet, then at the card. _What are you up to, Doctor?_ Whatever he was doing, so far this didn't feel like a rejection, and suddenly, she was in a hurry to find out. She only put on the bare minimum of makeup, then put the bracelet on her left wrist, picked up the card, and left the room.

Another surprise was waiting for her in the hall. Her necklace from Jablarth hung on a convenient hook (the TARDIS hummed smugly at that thought), and taped beside it was another card.

 _I told you how alone I am, and you slipped your hand into mine and said, "There's me."_

Rose undid the clasp on the necklace and put it on. _That's two out of ten. Where are the rest?_ She glanced at the card again and found a small note at the bottom: _Galley._

On her way to the galley, Rose put the two cards in her back pocket. If this continued the way it seemed like it was going, she would need her hands free. The next card was on the kitchen table, next to the delicate chain belt that had been wrapped about both their waists during their wedding on Swides.

 _Even surrounded by ghosts and almost certain we were going to die, I was still so glad I'd met you._

Rose touched the card to her lips when she remembered the honest smile he'd given her when he'd said those words. Knowing what she knew now, she realised that week between meeting her and being trapped in a cellar in Cardiff was probably the happiest he'd been in several years.

The card directed her to the console room, and the sash from their fourth wedding was draped over the dematerialisation lever. Nervous excitement bubbled up in her, and Rose jogged down the ramp and snatched the card up.

 _When I realised saving the world might mean losing you, and I didn't know if I could do it._

Rose traced her finger over the words. That _had_ been a moment. Some people might have relished the power they had over someone so important, but Rose had only felt very humbled. That was the day she learned that sometimes, the Doctor needed help making the hard decisions, and he took people with him who were strong enough to do it.

She put the card in her pocket and went to the next destination, the garden. The artificial sun was shining when she pushed open the door, and Rose breathed deep of the rich, earthy scented air. Then she looked around, wondering _where_ in the garden. She thought for a moment, then smiled and took the path to her left.

A small wooden table stood in front of the bed of arkytior. The Doctor had told her this was the Gallifreyan variety of rose, and what better place to find a symbol of their relationship than someplace that represented them both?

A white card lay on the table under a gold arm band. Rose shoved the band up over the elbow of her right arm, then picked the card up.

 _When you reminded me that the world doesn't end if the Doctor dances._

She laughed at the memory of being trapped in a hospital in World War II London with a Doctor who was finally admitting—obliquely of course—that he was sexually attracted to her. That wasn't something she'd soon forget.

Down the hall in the media room, she found the matching pins with the chain that connected them sitting on the television stand, and the card propped up against the TV.

 _When you created yourself to save me._

A shiver ran down Rose's spine. Memories of the Game Station had trickled slowly into her dreams, and finally, after Rome but before Sarah Jane, she'd made him tell her the truth. The revelation that she had, for a brief moment, been a goddess of Time shook her, but the fact that she'd used that power for the single purpose of saving her Doctor felt natural and right.

Rose raised an eyebrow when she read where she was supposed to go next. The Doctor rarely welcomed company into his work room… but maybe the point of this stop was to show her that he wanted to let her into parts of his life he'd previously kept from her. The anklet from Smoldurlia was on his work table, and she sat down to put it on before picking up the card.

 _When you agreed to come with me a second time._

Warmth rushed through Rose at that memory. She'd been so afraid this new Doctor wouldn't want her anymore, and even though she'd only known him for a few hours, she'd already known she wanted to stay with him. He'd been so nervous and earnest when he'd asked her if she wanted to come with him, and the smile he'd given her when she said yes was probably the moment she'd fallen in love with this him.

Chlorine hit her nose when Rose walked into the pool room. A gold coronet with a floral motif rested on a lounge chair, along with the familiar white card. She debated the coronet for a moment, but in a flash of whimsy, decided to put it on, letting it rest lightly on her head. It might not go with the faded jeans and a t-shirt, but it was fun to wear.

 _When we laid down on the applegrass and I was finally sure you knew I was still me._

Rose smiled and kissed the card, then hurried to the wardrobe room. There were only two wedding tokens left, and she was anxious to finish the scavenger hunt and get to the Doctor.

A stack of bangles sat on a bureau just inside the door. Rose ignored them—she was already wearing too much jewellery—and went straight for the card.

 _When I spent months in Renaissance Italy, sculpting your statue from memory._

Rose blushed when she remembered the teasing way he'd told her the statue was sculpted by someone who knew her pretty well, and the tenderness in his voice when he'd said, "I was inspired." He'd kissed her on that same trip, and it was one of the moments she'd clung to when she wondered if he loved her or not.

The card instructed her to go to the library, and Rose practically ran down the stairs and through the halls. The Doctor's collar was hanging from the handle, and she bit back a giggle when she saw it. She pulled the card off the door impatiently.

 _When I trapped myself in Eighteenth century France, and I thought it would be decades before I saw you again._

Rose swallowed back the lump in her throat. He'd come to her the next day and apologised for leaving without giving any clue as to how (or if) he would return. Then he'd explained his plan to wait until another version of himself landed within travelling distance, and hitch a ride back to her. It had take a few go arounds for her to both understand and believe him, but this card did one better. This meant he'd been as distraught at the thought of years without her as she had been at the thought of years without him. Somehow, that soothed the tiny bit of hurt that remained.

She looked at the card again. _Open the door,_ it said, so she did.

o0o0o0o0o0o

When the Doctor heard Rose's footsteps outside the library door, he quickly positioned himself in front of the fireplace, with his hands in his pockets. He waited impatiently for her to read the last card, and tried not to wonder if she understood what he was saying, or if it would make a difference.

His first sight of Rose took his breath away. The snug jeans and soft cotton t-shirt hugged her curves perfectly, but it was her accessories that commanded his attention. From the gold coronet resting atop blonde hair that framed her face in gentle waves to the anklet he could see beneath the cuff of her jeans, she was she was decked out head to toe in emblems of their relationship.

She held a stack of white cards in her right hand, and his collar in her left. "I don't think this would suit me," she teased, laughing when he flushed. She tossed it down onto the coffee table and held up the cards. "What are these, Doctor?"

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Didn't you read them?"

Rose sighed. "Of course I did. How else would I have found all of this?"

Her shoulders drooped a little, and he knew that if he wanted to convince her, he would need to be completely transparent. He swallowed hard and nodded at the cards.

"Those are all the times… well some of the times… the most notable times…" Rose's left eyebrow had risen high enough to give his own a run for its money. The Doctor shook his head. "Sit with me?" he asked, pointing at the sofa.

They sat down side by side, each turned slightly so they could face each other, and he took a deep breath. She looked at him expectantly and he felt a twinge of resentment that he had to do all the work, but he immediately reprimanded himself. Rose had been far more open about her feelings and what she wanted; it was his turn.

She looked at him now, wearing multiple indicators of their relationship and holding a list of some of the most important moments between them. Despite those two things, which should have been reassurance aplenty, she bit down on her lower lip and her brows drew together.

The Doctor pushed a strand of hair back over her ear. "I know I've been an idiot and a coward, Rose, but I'm finally ready to quit pretending."

Rose tugged at the hem of her shirt. "Even though you'll lose me one day?" she asked without looking at him.

He winced. "I won't tell you the thought doesn't hurt," he said, "but I will say it hurts less than the thought of never being with you."

She looked up at him, her head cocked. "And you won't change your mind?" she asked. "Because once we… if we're together, it has to be forever. I can stay your friend if you aren't ready for that, but I can't go back and forth."

That vulnerability, and the awareness that he had put it there, finally gave the Doctor the courage to say the words. "I won't change my mind, Rose. The ten moments on those cards are all moments when I realised I was falling in love with you, or that I loved you… and I'm not running from that anymore."

Rose gasped and grabbed his hand. "I have loved you for so long, but I thought…"

The Doctor sighed. "I know. I thought it would be better if we stayed as just friends." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

She nodded slowly. "What changed your mind?"

A fluttery sensation grew in the Doctor's chest. "I couldn't pretend last night. I think you could tell, couldn't you?"

"I thought maybe, but then today, I wasn't sure."

"That ceremony was too much like the ones on Gallifrey for me to give my pledge without a true commitment behind it. And the look in your eyes…" She smiled softly, all her doubts vanquished. "That's the one."

Rose's smile turned mischievous, the tip of her tongue peeking out of her mouth. "I have to admit, I wondered what was going on in your head when the magistrate told me you had all of our wedding tokens tucked away in your pockets."

He shrugged. "I couldn't just hide them away somewhere. I might not have been able to tell you that I wanted to be married to you, but those bracelets and necklaces and everything else reminded me that we _were_ married, whether we ever did anything about it or not."

"You're daft," she chided him. "You didn't need a reminder to carry around in your pocket—I was always right here."

Rose was always right there, loving him, wanting to make those fake weddings real… and she was still there. She'd said that if they moved their relationship forward, it needed to be forever, and suddenly, the Doctor wanted to give her that promise in the way that was most meaningful to both their cultures.

"Marry me, Rose?" he blurted out, almost before he was conscious of the thought.

Tears filled her eyes. "Have done eleven times now."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the red satin ribbon from their hand-fasting. "Just once more, when we both know we mean it."

Rose's hand shook when she reached for the other end of the ribbon. "How will we bind our hands when we both only have one free?"

The Doctor's hearts pounded at her implicit acceptance. He pulled her to her feet, and when they were standing, he rotated his wrist so the ribbon wrapped around his hand once. Rose mimicked the action, and soon their hands were clasped with the ribbon woven between them.

He hesitated for a moment, thinking about the traditional Gallifreyan wedding. There was one more thing…

"What is it, Doctor?"

"I have one more question, Rose. You can say no if you want—it isn't a requirement." She rubbed her thumb over his, and he calmed down a little. "You know I'm telepathic, right?" Rose nodded. "Well, telepaths often form a mental bond when they marry. I wouldn't be able to read your mind, but we would know what the other was feeling, and… maybe… depending on your potential… communicate telepathically."

"You'd be in my head?"

"Only if you want!" he said quickly. "Like I said, I don't need it, I just…"

Rose put her hand over his mouth. "I love the idea," she said. "You'd always be with me."

He stared into her shining eyes. He honestly hadn't expected her to agree, but some hidden compulsion had driven him to ask anyway. "Yeah?" he whispered breathlessly.

"Yeah." She squeezed his hand. "Now, weren't we in the middle of something?"

The Doctor's time senses whirled with the rapid changes happening to his own timeline, and he had to blink a few times to see the present clearly. Rose smiled up at him, and his chest swelled when he realised he had put that radiant happiness in her eyes.

He shut out his awareness of the future and focused on the hear and now. "Rose Tyler, do you consent to take me as your husband, to bind your timeline to mine until one shall run out?"

Rose blinked back tears. "I consent. And do you, Doctor, consent to be my husband, to… bind your timeline to mine until one shall run out?"

"I consent," he replied, his voice cracking. Then he let go of her hand and freed himself from the ribbon. "I need both hands for the next bit," he told her, and she nodded.

The Doctor raised his hands, then looked Rose in the eye once more. "You're sure? Because this is permanent."

"Please, Doctor. I want everything you're willing to give."

He drew in a breath, then rested his fingers in the soft hair above her temples. "You'll feel me at the edge of your mind," he said. "Imagine yourself inviting me in—"

His sentence ended abruptly when he almost fell into the warm gold of Rose's mind. The beauty and intimacy of it made his hands shake, and she rubbed soothing circles over the backs of them with her fingers.

 _Now,_ he told her telepathically, _I'm going to tell you my name—my real name. That will bind us together._ He leaned forward and whispered the almost forgotten syllables in her ear, and they both sucked in a breath as their new bond found a place in each of their minds.

Rose looked at him with a shy smile. "Is this the part where I say, 'You may now kiss the bride?'"

The Doctor laughed. "I think that's an excellent idea." He caressed her face, loving the way she leaned into his touch. Then he pulled her close with a hand on her waist and slowly leaned toward her. Rose tilted her head back, and he brushed his nose against hers before finally kissing her softly. Her lips parted on a sigh, and he sucked the bottom one into his mouth, running his tongue over it, then nipping lightly.

A frisson of excitement passed over their fledgling bond, and the Doctor released her lip and adjusted the angle so he could kiss her more deeply. This time, his tongue begged entrance to her mouth, which she willingly gave. The hand that had been clutching at the lapel of his jacket relaxed and moved up over his shoulder to the nape of his neck.

The Doctor groaned when her hand sank into his hair. He suddenly wanted to feel her hands everywhere, to undress her slowly, tasting her skin as he went, to give in to the desire he'd denied for two years and make love to Rose Tyler… to his wife.

 _But not here,_ he told himself. He gentled the kiss and then pulled back, resting his forehead against Rose's, just enjoying the intimacy of breathing in the same air as she was.

She tipped her head back to catch his lips again, and frowned up at him when he took a step back instead. "What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing." He swept her up in his arms, delighting in her shriek of laughter. "I was just thinking, we might have gotten married at home—"

"This time," Rose interjected as he walked out of the library.

"This time," he agreed. "I can't really carry you across the threshold, but I can still carry you to our room." He loved the way "our room" sounded, and judging by the way Rose shivered in his arms when he said it, she did as well. "I think that after twelve weddings, it's finally time we had a wedding night."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** The last paragraph doesn't hint at a sequel-it's just there to establish firmly where this is in their timeline. And it should be noted, whenever I write or read fanfic, unless it's explicitly stated, I think, "Because this happened, Doomsday didn't."

Five days (in relative time) after their final wedding, Rose and the Doctor were lounging together on a sofa in the media room, watching _By the Light of the Asteroid_. At least, he was watching it; Rose's mind was on something else entirely.

The hand draped over her waist squeezed gently, and Rose blinked, realising he'd turned the telly off and she hadn't even noticed. "Want to talk about it, love?" the Doctor asked. She sighed and covered his hand with hers. "I've been thinking; we ought to tell Mum we're married."

Rose was still learning to pick up emotions and thoughts over their bond, but the panic he was projecting now was unmistakable. It almost made her laugh, but she kept quiet and waited to see how he'd try to argue his way out of this.

"Rose!" he admonished. "We can't visit your mum—we're on our honeymoon! Do you know that term originated with the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest? Surprisingly, the idea and name seem to be almost universal in Earth cultures. Dozens of languages have words that directly translate to honeymoon."

She giggled at his nervous babbling, and his mouth clicked shut. "Honeymoon, huh?" She rolled onto her back and looked up at him. "Isn't that supposed to be a romantic holiday? So where are you going to take me, Doctor?"

The Doctor traced a single finger over Rose's eyebrows. Her breath hitched when he brushed her hair out of the way so he could place an open mouthed kiss on her jaw, right beneath her ear.

 _Where would you like me to take you, Rose Tyler?_ Rose wrapped her arms around his waist and tugged him down on top of her, and the conversation was temporarily forgotten.

DWDWDWDW

The Doctor did find places to take her after that, showing her some of the more romantic locations in the universe. On the second planet they visited, they purchased matching laurium wedding rings. The 10 sets of wedding tokens and the ribbon from their two hand-fastings were kept on a shelf in their bedroom, but the rings they wore.

In the midst of all the romance, Rose kept a tally of the passing days. When four weeks had passed, she broached the subject of telling her mum again.

"Where should we go next?" the Doctor asked as they left Malsapan. He flipped through a book sitting on the console. "Oh, what about Deton? I've never been there."

"I was thinking London," Rose said. The Doctor looked at her, and she smiled at the confused little furrow between his brows. "We've been married for a month."

Comprehension and terror crossed his face in the blink of an eye, then he bounced on his toes and shook his head. "Ah, but we had twelve weddings."

Rose arched an eyebrow. "You want to take twelve honeymoons?"

The Doctor moved around the console and she followed, not letting him get out of her line of sight. "Well, we've barely scratched the surface of the 34th century edition of _1001 Places Every Lover Should See,_ " he pointed out, holding the book up.

Rose laughed, and he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Do you remember what happened the last time you didn't bring me home for a year?"

His eyes widened comically. "You know what? I'm suddenly craving chips from that chippy near the flat. Nothing like London chips, Rose," he said sagely, and Rose bit back a smile as he spun around the console.

The Doctor parked the TARDIS in his usual spot on the corner. "And here we are," he told Rose. "The Powell Estate, only three weeks after our last visit."

"You're sure?" Rose asked.

"When have I ever given you reason to doubt…" Her raised eyebrows dared him to finish that sentence, so he made a show of looking at the monitor. "Yep. Eighteen days, to be exact."

Rose peered over his shoulder, then looked up at him. "You should teach me how to read that." He opened his mouth, eager for any chance of putting off this visit, and she raised a hand. "Later."

"Right. Of course. Later."

She sauntered down the ramp and waited for him expectantly by the door. The Doctor tugged on his ear, then sighed and pulled his coat on. He was sure there were things in the universe farther down on his to-do list than telling Jackie they'd gotten married, but right now, he couldn't think of any of them.

He caught her hand in his as they stepped out of the ship. "So, what's the plan?" he asked while they crossed the courtyard.

Rose swung their hands between them. "Just let me do all the talking."

The Doctor snorted. "You'll get no argument from me. Maybe if she hears it from you, she won't kill me."

"She's not going to kill you."

"You can't know that for sure, Rose." The Doctor stopped walking and Rose turned around to face him. "This could be your last chance to kiss me," he said, letting his lower lip jut out just a little.

His wife rolled her eyes, but he didn't miss how her gaze came back to his lips. He brushed her hair back behind her ear, then left his hand behind her neck. They'd been married for a month, but he still wasn't used to the idea that kissing Rose was allowed—encouraged, even.

Her head tilted back in invitation, and the Doctor leaned down slowly. "Well, if it's my last chance…" Rose breathed out when he bumped her nose with his.

He brushed his lips lightly against hers, then used the hand at the back of her head to adjust the angle to allow for a deeper kiss. Her hands grabbed at his lapels, but just when he put his hand on her waist to pull her closer, she pushed him away.

"No snogging me senseless where all my old friends can see." She grabbed his hand again and headed for the doors.

"What about later on, when we get home?"

Rose looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling. "I promise, if you survive this encounter with my mother, you can snog me anywhere in the TARDIS you like."

They passed several of Jackie's neighbours in the stairwell, and the Doctor was surprised to realise he recognised most of them, and they him. It gave a visit to London the feeling of stopping back at home, and the domestic thought didn't make him want to run like it might have done in the past.

When they reached the second floor, Rose pulled her key out of her pocket. "Are you ready?"

"No," he told her honestly.

She shook her head at him and pushed the door open. "Mum! We're here!"

Jackie ran out of the kitchen and swept Rose up in a hug. "Two visits in a month?" she said, kissing Rose on the cheek. "What's the occasion?"

"Nothing, just…" Rose looked at the Doctor and back at her mum. "It's been a bit longer for us. I missed you."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at that evasive answer, but it seemed to satisfy Jackie. "Well, you've got a good sense of timing, I'll give you that. I've just put the kettle on. Will you get the cups out, sweetheart?"

Without anything to do, the Doctor thought the wisest course of action would be to sit down in the lounge and stay as much out of trouble as possible. He tapped his fingers against his leg while he waited for Rose.

His gaze flitted around the room, and he noticed there were several souvenirs from their travels on the shelves, along with a picture of them that had been taken in front of a waterfall that could have been on Earth. (It wasn't though—that was Bonsanca, a planet in a system on the other side of the galaxy.)

Rose sat down with him a moment later, and he took her hand automatically. "Well, so far this has gone better than I expected," he said in a low voice.

"That's because we haven't told her anything yet."

"Ah. Right." The Doctor started tapping his fingers again. He'd been feeling better until she'd reminded him of that.

He was just thinking about getting up and walking around the room when Jackie finally came in with the tea. She fixed everyone's cup, knowing exactly how many sugars he liked and that Rose preferred just milk. Again, that feeling of home crept over him, and he accepted his cup with a smile.

Jackie settled back in her chair, then said, "So, how long have you been married?"

Rose choked on her tea and started coughing hard while the Doctor rubbed her back. Once she could breathe again, she looked at Jackie with watering eyes.

"How did you know?"

Jackie pointed to the window. "You forget how loud that box of yours is. I heard you land and peeked down at the courtyard to make sure I wasn't hearing things. And there was your blue box, and the two of you, snogging in broad daylight."

"That doesn't mean we're married," the Doctor protested.

"Do they wear wedding rings for a different reason on your planet then, Doctor?" she challenged.

He and Rose exchanged chagrinned looks. Neither of them had even considered taking their rings off.

Jackie let out a huff of annoyance. "Obviously you didn't come straight from the wedding, if you've gotten used to the feeling of a ring on your hand. Out with it then—let's have the story."

"It all started when we were accused of indecent smiling…" Rose began. They traded off telling the story of their first ten weddings. Jackie looked at him affectionately when he admitted to keeping all of the tokens in his coat pocket, and he smiled sheepishly.

"A collar, really?" she said when they got to the tenth wedding.

"Why is everyone so fascinated by that bloody collar?" the Doctor muttered.

His mother-in-law ignored him, talking to Rose instead. "I hope you kept that one, sweetheart. It could come in handy with this one."

"Oi!"

"Well, you do tend to wander off," Rose teased.

"Here, does anyone else want more tea? And once we've all got full cups again, I want to hear about your actual wedding."

Rose squeezed his hand. _Don't tell her about the trial._

 _Definitely not._

"There was one more fake wedding," the Doctor said when everyone was sitting back comfortably again. "But it was so similar to the weddings on my planet that I couldn't pretend I didn't mean every word I said."

Rose looked up at him. "And when we got home, he admitted that he'd wanted to be married the whole time, and we had one more wedding, just the two of us."

"Well, I'm going to get supper going," Jackie said abruptly. The Doctor turned around and thought he spotted tears in her eyes. "I won't ask you to stay overnight, but you can eat with me before you go off to some alien moon or something."

DWDWDWDW

It was after dark when the Doctor and Rose went home, with promises to visit again soon. The TARDIS glowed in the streetlight, and there were stars in the sky above them.

"Well, that went better than I anticipated," the Doctor admitted as he unlocked the door.

The time rotor was the only light in the console room, and it cast greenish shadows over Roses' face as she leaned against a strut while he sent them into the Vortex. "I told you she wouldn't be upset."

"Your mother and I have a history," he reminded her. He flipped the dematerialisation lever, and the sound of the TARDIS in flight filled the room. "Granted, things have gotten better since my face changed, but first impressions like that are hard to overcome, Rose."

She walked toward him and tugged gently on his tie. "Ready for bed?"

"In a minute. I just need to do a few things here first."

"A few things as in, you'll be five minutes, or as in, I'll find you under the grating when I wake up in the morning?"

The Doctor pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I promise I'll be right behind you."

Once she was gone, he stroked the console. "Thank you," he whispered to his ship. She'd known exactly what kind of push it would take to get him to move past his fears, and she'd given it to him.

"Now, where should the next stop on our honeymoon be?" The Doctor pressed his tongue against the back of his teeth. She enjoyed dressing up, so something historical… He grinned when the perfect answer came to him, and he spun the dials. Rose would love seeing Elvis.


	6. Chapter 6

You asked for it, and now it's here: a sequel to Tokens of His Affection, showing how they avoided the painful separation after Canary Wharf.

 _The Doctor has been travelling alone since leaving Rose Tyler in the alley with her idiot boyfriend. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose are sending the Daleks and Cybermen back into the Void. Ignoring what the Doctor wants, the TARDIS takes him to Canary Wharf where he gets the surprise of his lives._

 **Teaser**

 _Torchwood, July 9, 2007_

Rose stared at her husband in shock. "I'm supposed to go."

The muscle in the Doctor's jaw twitched. "Yeah."

Rose jumped when his magnaclamp hit the floor with a loud clang, but she didn't let it distract her from the conversation she couldn't believe they were having. "To another world, and then it gets sealed off."

"Yeah." The Doctor barely looked at her, spinning around and running over to a computer to hide his face.

But Rose knew exactly how he felt; she could feel his anguish over their bond. "Forever." He flinched when she pronounced the word she'd recently used when he'd asked, in a romantic moment, how long she was going to stay with him. Rose shook her head. "That's not going to happen."

To find out more, read "A Timely Rescue."


End file.
